Educator Allegedly Fired For Reporting Childcare Service To Authorities

Perth childcare centre, Little Peoples Place Early Learning Centre Evans Way (Narula Holdings), was fined $18,100 as it was found to have breached its maximum number of children for short periods of time on multiple occasions. The Educator, working at the centre, who had alerted the authorities of the centre's breach was allegedly fired from the company.

In August and September 2018, the childcare centre had breached its limit of 47 children for short periods on three different afternoons. With an authorised officer in attendance, during those times, an educator collecting children on the service's bus was instructed to "do laps" and "buy time" until the authorised officer had left the centre.

The service bus returned at 3:50 pm, which caused some children to be on the bus for more than an hour while waiting for the authorised offer to leave.

An Educator working at the centre during this time had alerted The Department of Local Government and Communities of the breach, where this incident went to mediation at the State Administrative Tribunal earlier this month.

The Educator has worked at the company's two centre's in 2018, for 3 months, where no issue was raised about her performance, however, after making the report, the Director confronted the Educator and said there had been a breakdown in trust.

The company was ordered to pay $8000 for the three breaches of excessive children as well as $18,100 for "taking serious detrimental action against an educator in reprisal for a protected disclosure".